Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport Electric Vehicle Challenges Tesla?

While everyone else is clamoring over hybrid vehicles to help save gas, Mitsubishi wants to skip that altogether and head into the world of full electrics. The Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport is a full electric coupe that can approach speeds as high as 180km/h. Sure, it’s more bubbly and bulbous than the Tesla Roadster, but it seems more city-friendly as well.

Featuring a 2+2 seating configuration, the i MiEV puts power to the front via in-wheel motors (about 26hp each), whereas the rear gets its juice from a single motor (about 65hp). These are all “permanent magnetic synchronous motors”, producing an approximate total of 117 horsepower. Not a lot, surely, but you also have to realize that this car is featherlight.

Rounding out the core specs are Mitsubishi’s Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) vehicle dynamics system, E-4WD system, E-AYC (Electric Active Yaw Control) system, ABS, and Active Stability Control. Yup, there’s a lot of computing going on. More details, including an official unveiling, are expected at the Tokyo Motor Show in seven weeks.